The
problem of the stray cat population is slightly different to that of the
dogs, in that they do not have such an impact in social terms. Everyone
who visits Greece takes home with them images of cats - on postcards,
on calendars, in their own photographs. Sadly, the reality for many of
the cats on the streets is not as pretty as many might imagine. They are
reasonably "well off" in the summer months, when many tourists
feed them, but when tourists have gone home they are still there, still
needing food and veterinary care.

The
numbers are enormous and there is no way whatever of counting them. Various
people in the town and the surrounding villages feed them - either in
ones and twos or whole colonies. Catching them for neutering is a current
priority - to reduce the reproduction rate and the associated suffering.
However, some of the cats are extremely feral and very difficult to trap,
and this is a task needing special equipment (traps) and patient volunteers.

Many
of the feral cats cannot be domesticated, so need to be cared for where
they are. Occasionally a few are able to be rehomed, like the beauty below,
who had the misfortune to get between two terrier type dogs in the garden
of a volunteer. Fortunately she wasn't badly hurt and was then given time
to recover and be neutered before being found a home.

There
are many, many cats in the town - here are some which live near the Archaeological
Museum enjoying their evening meal, provided by volunteers.